Trigger motor



Sept. 8, 1936. R. c. COUPLAND 2,053,264

TRIGGER MOTOR Filed Oct. 2, 1934 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 AHM W A 10 I A? I I W/ m J A 1 x 30 I I l a/ 25 24 /a a5 27 32 J 24 Inventor Richard E. l3 uu ]31and y//77.@MZ

Attorney p 5- R. c. COUPLAND 2,053,264

TRIGGER MOTOR Filed Oct. 2, 1934 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 & Q\ Y I Invent or Richard ELBnuPlanri Attorney Patented Sept. 8, 1936 TRIGGER MOTOR Richard 0. Oonpland. United States in... Norfolk, Va.

Application October 2, 1934. Serial No. 748,530 5 Qlaims. (CI. 89-21) (Granted under the act of March 8. 1888, as amended April 30, 1928; 370 0. G.

The invention described herein may be manufactured and used by or for the Government for governmental purposes, without the payment to me of any royalty thereon.

This invention relates to a trigger motor such as is used in connection with a synchronized control system for guns which will permit the guns to be fired between the blades of a rotating propeller of aircraft.

The purpose of the invention is to provide a compact trigger motor of light weight. which may be readily applied to either side of the breech casing of a gun and which will be positive and reliable in operation.

To these and other ends, the invention consists in the construction, arrangement and combination of elements described hereinafter and pointed out in the claims forming a part of this specification.

A practical embodiment of the invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, wherein:

Fig. 1 is a view in side elevation of the improved trigger motor mounted on a gun;

Fig. 2 is a sectional view on the line 2-2 of Fig. 1;

Figs. 3 and- 4 are views similar to Fig. 2 and showing other positions of the parts;

Fig. 5 is a sectional view on the line 5-5 of Fig. 3;

Fig. 6 is a sectional view on the line 8-6 Fig. 7 is a sectional view on the line l'! of Fig. 4;

Fig. 8 is a plan view of the plunger;

Fig. 8A is an end elevation thereof;

Fig. 8B is a longitudinal section thereof.

Referring to the drawings by characters of reference there is shown a portion of a machine gun including a breech casing having side walls 5-5 between which a breech bolt 5 is reciprocally mounted. The breech bolt is provided with the usual sear 1 which is adapted to be moved to releasing position by a sear slide 8.

The side walls 5 of the breech casing are each provided with a pair of slots or apertures, the rear aperture 9 having its rear face I0 inclined forwardly from inside to outside of the breech casing and the front aperture i I having its front face l2 inclined rearwardly from inside to outside of the breech casing. The faces in and [2 are therefore outwardly convergent or inwardly divergent.

side walls 5 of the breech casing is formed with a pair of lugs l4 and i5 respectively entering the apertures 9 and II. The lug it has an inclined face It complementary to and adapted to bear against the inclined face in of the rear aperture 9.

The lug i5 carries a bell crank lever I! (Fig. 2) mounted on a pivot pin l8 and forming the subject of a separate application. One arm is of the lever corresponds to the lug l4 and has an inclined face 20 complementary to and adapted to bear against the inclined face i2 of the front aperture H. The other arm 2| (Figs. 1 and 7) of the lever is bifurcated to straddle a nipple 22 on the front end of the housing l3. A nut 23 threaded on the nipple bears against the bifurcated arm 2i, holds it immovable against the housing and thereby forces the inclined faces l6 and 20 of the housing into engagement with the inclined faces l0 and i2 of the side wall 5. A half turn of the nut 23 frees the bell crank lever sufliciently to enable the housing to be detached by an outward movement of its front end. The attachment of the housing to the breech casing is accomplished by reversing this operation.

Within the housing, l3 there is a reciprocally mounted plunger 24 and a spring 25, embracing the plunger and confined between a washer 26 seated in the housing and a collar 21 on the plunger. The spring normally maintains the plunger in the position shown in Fig. 2.. An impulse transmitting cable 28 passes through and is attached to the plunger by means of a washer 29 and an adjusting screw 30, the screw'being threaded to the plunger in the manner more fully shown in my prior Patent No. 1,770,125 of July 8. 1930.

The front end of the plunger is formed with an inclined arm 3| which is connected by a pivot pin 32 to a lever 33. The lever is disposed within the housing l3 and is mounted on a pivot pin 34. A trigger 35, substantially parallel with the lever, is connected thereto by a pivot pin 36 pcsitioned opposite the pivot pin 32. The pin 36 passes through an elongated aperture or apertures 31 in the trigger whereby it is possible for the trigger to be moved transversely of the housing l3 without displacement longitudinally thereof when the lever is rocked about its pivot pin 34 as seen in Fig. 3. The lever and trigger are arranged to be moved without interfering with the impulse cable 28 and to this end they are preferably bifurcated as clearly shown in Fig. 6.

The free end of the trigger passes through an apertureitinthelug liandisarrangedto strike the sear slide 3 when the trigger is moved inwardly towards the breech casing. A plunger 39 mounted in the housing is acted on by a spring 40 and normally holds the trigger in a position transversely of the housing IS with its inner tree end against the rear wall 4| defining a face of the sear slide 8 will strike the side oi! the trigger and cause it to yield (Fig. 4)." Furthermore when firing is discontinued the impulse cableis held to maintain the plunger 39 in the forward position thereby positioning the trigger in the path of the sear slide where it will be rotated by the sear slide as the breech bolt arrives home after firing the last shot. The trigger will then be in safe or inoperative position and the gun cannot be fired until the impulse cable is released.

The impulse'cable is sheathed in a tube 42 which is anchored in a socket member 43 extending into the nipple 22 of the housing l3. The socket member is retained by a nut 44 threaded on the nipple.

The parts are normally in safe position in Fig. 4. When the impulse cable is released, the spring 25 moves the plunger rearwardly and the plunger acts through the lever 33 to move the trigger outwardly to the position shown in Fig. 2. When the impulse cable 28 is now pulled, the plunger 24 is moved forwardly and the lever 33 moves the trigger inwardly where it strikes the sear slide 8 and fires the gun as shown in Fig. 3.

I claim:

1. In a trigger motor, a housing having an aparture in its side wall, a plunger in the housing, a lever pivotally mounted in the housing and pivotally connected to the plunger, a trigger hav-- ing a pivotal and sliding connection with the lever, the free end of the trigger arranged to move through the aperture in the housing, means normally urging the trigger towards the lever, and acable passing through the trigger and lever and connected to the plunger.

2. In a trigger motor, a housing having an aperture in its side wall, a plunger, a spring normally urging the plunger in one direction, a cable for retracting the plunger, a lever pivotally mounted in the housing and pivotally connected to the plunger, a trigger having a pivotal and sliding connection with the lever, the free end of the trigger arranged to move through the aper ture in the housing, and a resilient means carried by the housing and normally moving the trigger towards the lever.

3. In a trigger motor, a housing having an aperture in its side wall, a plunger, a spring normally urging the plunger in one direction, a cable for retracting the plunger, a lever pivotally mounted in the housing and pivotally connected to the plunger, atrigger having a pivotal and sliding connection with the lever, the free end of the trigger arranged to move through the aperture in the housing, and a resilient means normally moving the trigger towards the lever.

4. In a trigger motor, a housing having an aperture in its side wall, a lever pivotally mounted in the housing, means for rocking the lever, a'trigger having a slidable pivotal connection with the lever, the free end of the trigger arranged to movethrough the aperture in the housing, and resilient means mounted in the housing and normally moving the trigger towards the lever.

5. In a trigger motor, a housing having an aperture in its side wall, a lever pivotally mounted in the housing, means for rocking the lever, a trigger having a slidable pivotal connection with the lever, the free end of the trigger arranged to move through the aperture in the housing, and resilient means normally moving the trigger towards ,the lever and holding it against the housing.

RICHARD C. COUPLAND. 

